"If this committee had taken Weldon seriously, if there was any chance it would achieve importance, there would have been better attendance, from both sides of the aisle."
I disagree. The witnesses weren't allowed to speak. It wasn't even televised except for CSPAN 3. And still you had several senators there. The Senate is taking this seriously, particularly on the GOP side. And Biden, for whatever reason, wanted his name on their side. Either he was truly outraged, or he was calculating that no level of coverup was going to keep this quiet.
I hope you're right, but I won't hold my breath. If Specter holds follow up hearings, if he supoenas members and staff of the 9-ll Commission, I'll gladly lose some of my pessimism.